City of Pacifica participates in West Coast tsunami response exercise

By Pacifica Tribune

Posted:
04/08/2014 05:04:47 PM PDT

Updated:
04/08/2014 05:04:48 PM PDT

On March 27, the City of Pacifica opened its Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and practiced what would happen should a tsunami reach Pacifica's coast. The emergency exercise in Pacifica was like many others conducted all along the West Coast in memory of the 50th anniversary of the Great Alaskan Quake.

The exercise gave City staff and community partners the opportunity to come together and practice their response.

Staff members from every city department were assisted by liaisons from the American Red Cross, the North Coast County Water District, the Pacifica School District, the Jefferson Union High School District, and Pacifica CERT including local HAM radio operators.

As part of the emergency drill, at 9 a.m., the EOC staff received notification that a 9.0 earthquake had created a tsunami that was heading toward the Bay Area. The emergency operations staff used its time wisely and were able to use various means to "virtually" notify the community and conduct evacuations of potentially affected areas.

Several agencies also worked together to establish evacuation centers. CERT HAM radio operators and other CERT members worked together to report any damage once the tsunami "struck." The impact to Pacifica, based on models of a real magnitude 9.0 earthquake in Alaska, would have been a 2- to 3-foot sea level rise. In the drill, no structures were damaged, but roadways and parking lots near the coast were flooded and awash in several inches of sand.

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What you should know about tsunamis

Tsunamis may follow earthquakes, even if the earthquakes happen on the other side of the ocean. A tsunami could arrive within minutes or could take several hours to move across the ocean. Natural warning signs are: strong ground shaking, a loud ocean roar, or the water receding unusually far exposing the ocean floor. Official warnings will come in several ways: radio, television, text message, door-to-door contact, and emergency sirens.

Pacifica has sirens located in Sharp Park, Rockaway, and Linda Mar. These sirens are tested the first Wednesday of every month and contain a verbal warning in English and Spanish.

If those warning signs occur, determine if you are in a hazard zone. If you are in low lying areas near the ocean, move inland or to high ground. Remain there and seek information from local radio or television stations.